What is a Maintenance Technician?
A maintenance technician is a person who is responsible for a highly diversified portfolio of maintenance activities. Maintenance technicians use their skills and knowledge to ensure that a variety of equipment works in accordance with safety guidelines and production specifications.
Telecom and IT companies need maintenance technicians who can service equipment on cell towers and other networks assets. Tasks include maintaining access checkpoints, ensuring network connections, measuring the performance of hardware, and adhering to client specifications.
Responsibilities of a Maintenance Technician
The responsibilities of a maintenance technician vary considerably from one job to another. The primary roles of a technician include the following:
- Checking access points
- Conducting feasibilities studies
- Fixing hybrid fiber coaxial issues
- Fixing IP issues
- Recording completed tasks
- Responding to a company’s emergency requirements
- Making small repairs and adjustments as required by specifications
- Verifying that telecom and IT assets are in good working condition
Qualification & Skills of Maintenance Technician
Companies employ maintenance technicians to provide maintenance for their assets and ensure that they get the best return on their capital investment. The work of a maintenance technician is highly varied and industry-specific, meaning that they need to have a wide variety of skills.
Some maintenance technicians require advanced degrees, but most entry-level positions will accept a high-school diploma or equivalent.
In addition to academic qualifications, companies will expect maintenance technicians to have excellent knowledge of maintenance procedures and understand the systems that need to be maintained. Furthermore, being able to lift heavy loads and work creatively can help boost a maintenance technician’s chances of being hired.
Job Outlook
Working as a maintenance technician on a freelance basis comes with a lot of benefits. These include being able to set your hours and time you work during the year. Freelance maintenance technicians can respond to high demand when a carrier initiates a network upgrade project and then take time off during quieter parts of the year.
Freelance maintenance technicians also benefit from establishing relationships with multiple clients. Working as a freelancer, you’ll gain employment experience with a variety of businesses, boosting your overall skill set and providing you with more work opportunities in the future.
How much do Maintenance Technicians Earn?
The average full-time maintenance technician earns between $20,500 and $59,000 per year, making $38,977 per year on an average. Hourly rates sit at around $17.80 per hour. Freelancers, however, can typically earn more than this.
Field Engineer Helps Businesses and Maintenance Technicians
In the past, maintenance technicians found it difficult to work on a freelance basis. But thanks to Field Engineer, it’s easier than ever to find suitable firms. Maintenance technicians simply log on to the FE site and apply for jobs immediately with employers all over the world.
Field Engineer is an excellent tool for firms in the telecom industry too, because it allows them to hire maintenance engineers on-demand, rather than having to employ them full time. Firms, for example, can get the labor they need for a major upgrade quickly, without having to go through the usual costly hiring channels.